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Greenpeace admits its attacks on forest products giant were ‘non-verifiable statements of subjective opinion’

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Greenpeace admits its attacks on forest products giant were ‘non-verifiable statements of subjective opinion’

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A common criticism is that Greenpeace does not solely act on factual statements.

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Greenpeace, after repeated attacks against Canada's biggest forest products company for "destroying," Canada's boreal forests, now says that it was merely stating an opinion about the logging activity, not a fact.

After years of weathering attacks on its forestry practices, Montreal-based Resolute Forest Products Inc. last year sued Greenpeace in United States District Court in Georgia under racketeering statutes, alleging that Greenpeace's repeated attacks on Resolute, to raise money for Greenpeace, amount to criminal activity.

In its claim, Resolute noted that Greenpeace has lobbied big Resolute paper customers, such as the Rite-Aid pharmacy chain (which printed its flyers on Resolute newsprint), encouraging them to switch suppliers, because, said Greenpeace, Resolute is a "forest destroyer."

But now Greenpeace says it never intended people to take its words about Resolute's logging practices as literal truth.

"The publications' use of the word "Forest Destroyer," for example, is obvious rhetoric," Greenpeace writes in its motion to dismiss the Resolute lawsuit. "Resolute did not literally destroy an entire forest. It is of course arguable that Resolute destroyed portions of the Canadian Boreal Forest without abiding by policies and practices established by the Canadian government and the Forest Stewardship Council, but that is the point: The "Forest Destroyer" statement cannot be proven true or false, it is merely an opinion."

Greenpeace adds that its attacks on Resolute "are without question non-verifiable statements of subjective opinion and at most non-actionable rhetorical hyperbole."

None of the allegations by Resolute or Greenpeace has been tested in this case, which remains before the courts.

Richard Garneau, the chief executive of Resolute, who himself hails from the company's centre of logging operations in the Saguenay region north of Quebec City, seized on Greenpeace's admissions in an op-ed published Thursday in the conservative U.S. magazine National Review.

"A funny thing happened when Greenpeace and allies were forced to account for their claims in court," Garneau wrote. "They started changing their tune. Their condemnations of our forestry practices 'do not hew to strict literalism or scientific precision,' as they concede in their latest legal filings. These are sober admissions after years of irresponsible attacks."

Garneau, in Toronto Thursday, said Greenpeace's attacks have hurt many across northern Quebec and Ontario.

"It is sad that we have to do all this to straighten out the record on misinformation," he said. "It is sad that all Greenpeace's allegations are against people who cannot defend themselves against organizations who blackmail customers to raise money."

Resolute has faced criticism over its logging practices in the boreal forests of Ontario and Quebec from people other than Greenpeace. Forest product companies pay the German-based Forest Stewardship Council to review their logging operations and ensure they are sustainable. The FSC logo emblazons products across Canada as responsibly sourced - such as the envelopes used by Canada's five biggest banks to send out customers' account statements. FSC in 2014 revoked its seal of approval for logging operations that comprise about half of the forests where Resolute operates in Canada.

FSC said that Resolute wasn't doing enough to protect caribou habitat, and failed to get permission from First Nations to log certain forests.

But Resolute has trained its legal firepower squarely on Greenpeace. In 2013 Resolute extracted an apology from Greenpeace for falsely alleging that Resolute had cut trees in an area it promised to spare. That same year, Resolute sued Greenpeace for libel in Thunder Bay, Ont., alleging that the global environmental group was spreading lies about the forest harvesting operations.

In a statement released to the Financial Post late Friday, Shane Moffat, head of forest campaigns at Greenpeace Canada, wrote that, "Greenpeace Canada stands by our criticism of Resolute
Forest Products' practices that have been undermining the ecological integrity of the boreal forest in key regions where Resolute operates. Richard Garneau has taken legal arguments out of context to imply that Greenpeace is backing down on these claims. Greenpeace Canada is not involved in this lawsuit, but is being sued by Resolute in Ontario."
pkuitenbrouwer@nationalpost.com
Twitter.com/pkuitenbrouwer

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Greenpeace admits its attacks on forest products giant were 'non-verifiable statements of subjective opinion'

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Greenpeace, after repeated attacks against Canada's biggest forest products company for "destroying," Canada's boreal forests, now says that it was merely stating an opinion about the logging activity, not a fact. After years of weathering attacks on its forestry practices, Montreal-based Resolute Forest Products Inc.

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Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971. The organization reject funding from governments, corporation or political parties, and instead rely on 2.9 million individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace has a general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is a founding member of INGO Accountability Charter. Greenpeace is known for its direct actions and raising awareness to environmental issues to the public.

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Greenpeace goal is “ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity”. It has certainly excelled at raising awareness to environmental crises all across the globe. Campaigning on issues such as climate change, deforestation, over fishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering, and anti nuclear issues.

However, Greenpeace is controversial as it undertakes unlawful actions and methods, thus a major source of criticism. This has led to fines, suspended sentences and damaging property. Furthermore, a Canadian ecologist Patrick Moore, an early Greenpeace member left the organization when in 1986; decided to support a universal ban on chlorine in drinking water. Moore has argued that Greenpeace today is motivated by politics rather than science and that none of his “fellow directors had any formal science education”. However, Moore is not as ready as he is made out to be, as he has also reversed his position on nuclear power in 1976, first opposing it and then supporting it.

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Greenpeace is full of controversies, and that is the main reluctance for most for endorsing in its efforts. However, I believe that I can support Greenpeace on selected number of topics. Although there may be no foreign political influence on the organization, a political environment grew within. Thus, I will support their efforts of climate change, deforestation, over fishing, commercial whaling, however will not support them in efforts of ending GMOs, or their anti nuclear efforts.

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https://docs.google.com/a/gapps.yrdsb.ca/document/d/1nerAOO9FWxjO3pBlJgcWWst6VxRNKhIg0m0_KgLFzZQ/edit?usp=sharing

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Greenpeace-gifted solar panels up and running in Clyde River

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Greenpeace-gifted solar panels up and running in Clyde River

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Clyde River was in a heated Supreme Court battle against the oil industry over seismic testing.

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Solar panels, gifted to the hamlet of Clyde River by Greenpeace, are now up and running-saving the community money and diesel.

The 27 panels were installed on the community hall, when the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, visited in late summer last year.

However, in no rush with the dark winter ahead, the panels didn't get the final go-ahead from the territory's safety inspector until March 9 of this year.

And already, they're performing better than conservative estimates.

Jonathan Palituq, with the hamlet of Clyde River, said the panels have already produced enough electricity to save around $2,000. Greenpeace guessed that the panels will save Clyde River up to $4,500 a year.

The community developed a relationship with the organization when Greenpeace agreed to support them in their court battle against the National Energy Board's decision to allow seismic testing in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.

"Part of the idea was that by installing solar, they'd be helping Clyde River show that they're alternative to oil," said Duncan Martin, with the Vancouver Renewable Energy Co-op (VREC).

VREC was contracted by Greenpeace to install the panels and is now monitoring their output. No oversight is needed on the panels post-installation besides a hamlet staffer sending Martin a photo of the panels' readout every few days.

The solar panels are tied to the hamlet's power grid, so in the event that they produce more energy that the community hall needs, they can feed the excess into the grid.

This will be an added boon to the community once the territory introduces net-metering, something Martin says is expected this year.

He says net-metering will allow the hall to buy and sell power to and from the grid at the same rate, so any extra power generation will mean extra cost savings.

At the moment, however, Palituq's says the average power bill for the community hall is $3,000 a month, more than the panels have saved thus far.

Step towards energy independence

However, Martin says that any amount of savings will help Clyde River move towards energy independence.

"We're not under any illusion that diesel is going to be replaced by solar," Martin said.

"[But] if we can get to a point where we have solar and wind and some micro hydro, and then we have diesel as the last resort, then we can have a much more reliable source of energy."

Though Martin expects Northern communities to rely on diesel for years to come, he said the price of solar has dropped enough - nearly 80 percent over the last 10 years - that there is a cost incentive to choose the alternative energy source, rather than just an environmental one.

Greenpeace crowdsourced its members to help afford the panels, which Martin estimates cost $35,000 plus the cost of getting everything and everyone to Clyde River for the install. Transport was covered by Greenpeace during its summer visit.

VREC is now talking to community members in Pond Inlet about the possibility of solar panels for their community hall, but transport will be a challenge.

Martin says he's hopeful they can find space on one of the many ships that head North without a full cargo load, like a cruise ship or a research vessel.

With files from Meagan Deuling and Qavavao Peter

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Greenpeace-gifted solar panels up and running in Clyde River

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Solar panels, gifted to the hamlet of Clyde River by Greenpeace, are now up and running-saving the community money and diesel. The 27 panels were installed on the community hall, when the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, visited in late summer last year.

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Greenpeace unfurls anti-Le Pen 'resist' banner on Eiffel Tower

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Greenpeace unfurls anti-Le Pen 'resist' banner on Eiffel Tower

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A CBC article about Greenpeace activism during the France election.

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Greenpeace climbers unfurled a banner emblazoned with the French republican slogan "Liberty, Equality Fraternity" and the word "Resist" on the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Friday, a message urging people to vote against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in Sunday's presidential election.

The sign, which went up at about 5 a.m. local time, was removed after 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, protests have broken out in some schools. The Paris school district says 10 high schools are completely or partially blocked by student protesters who say they oppose both presidential candidates.

"We wanted to say we are against the rise of nationalism and authoritarianism in France and in other countries. This is our way of reminding everybody they all need to mobilise to defend these values of Liberty Equality and Fraternity," Jean-François Julliard, the advocacy group's head in France, told public radio station franceinfo.

Le Pen faces off against centrist Emmanuel Macron in the May 7 ballot. Macron is tipped in polls to win and become France's president for the next five years. The Greenpeace action came on the last day of campaigning.

Last day of campaigning before election

French centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron says his country has to find a common destiny and overcome the anger that is dividing it.

Macron, in the last day of campaigning for the presidential election, told Europe 1 radio that if he is elected his duty will be to "ensure that the country keeps its balance."

He said Friday he had chosen as his prime minister someone with enough political experience to help bring together a legislative majority but refused to name his choice.

Despite a testy debate with far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Wednesday, Macron insisted that - should he win - she would be the first person he would call.

Le Pen says her anger during the presidential debate against her centrist rival is a reflection of the anger she sees throughout France.

In the last day of campaigning before Sunday's presidential vote, Le Pen acknowledged the testy debate between her and Macron.

"My words were nothing but the reflection of the anger that will explode in this country," she told RTL radio on Friday.

She criticized Macron as the candidate of the elite and said the French have had enough of their political and economic situation.

In recent years, Le Pen has tried to soften the profile of the National Front party founded by her father. The party has long been accused of racism and anti-Semitism.

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Greenpeace unfurls anti-Le Pen 'resist' banner on Eiffel Tower

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Greenpeace climbers unfurled a banner emblazoned with the French republican slogan "Liberty, Equality Fraternity" and the word "Resist" on the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Friday, a message urging people to vote against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in Sunday's presidential election.

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The early roots of Greenpeace : Bodies on the Line (1976) - The Fifth Estate 

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The early roots of Greenpeace : Bodies on the Line (1976) - The Fifth Estate 

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The Fifth Estate documented the early efforts of Greenpeace in 1976

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The early roots of Greenpeace : Bodies on the Line (1976) - The Fifth Estate

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From 1976 Adrienne Clarkson talks to the founders and other members of Greenpeace about their exploits in saving animals and the planet from human greed. Clarkson gives a history of the non-profit organization's beginnings on Amchitka Island in a protest against nuclear testing.